Clean up a cluttered basement or garage

Don't let a dark and grungy garage or basement come between you and a sold sign on your lawn.

When you put your house on the market, you think about how it will show to prospective buyers. You may need to fix up the outside, paint inside, and spark up the kitchen and bathroom. Don’t forget the basement and garage!

These areas are often the places that collect the most junk and dirt. With a little planning, cleaning out your basement or garage can be a manageable task, if not an enjoyable one. Doing it will pay off twice: first, when prospective buyers are touring your house, and second, when it comes time to pack up and move.

Move it and sort it
Begin by pulling everything out of the space you are cleaning. Pick a day with good weather and bring all the stuff into the yard or driveway. You may need the help of family members or friends.

Sort everything into five categories: keepers, sellers, donations, trash and unsure. Once you have sorted everything, you will be able to tackle each category. To decide where things go, consider these guidelines:

• if you have used it in the last month or two, or it has great sentimental value, it’s a keeper.
• if it is in good condition and you think you can get some money for it, it’s a seller.
• if it is in good condition and you think someone else can use it, it’s a donation.
• if it’s broken, old or otherwise unusable, it’s trash.
• if you can’t fit it into the other four categories, it’s unsure.

Donations
Choose a charity that will benefit from the items you have to offer. Call ahead and arrange for a pickup a few days after your cleaning day. You may also want to give items to family members or friends. Books can be donated to a local literacy project, school or community center. You may also want to put a box out at work for your colleagues to pick over.

Sellers
Decide the best way to sell the items in this box. Coordinate with your neighbors to have a neighborhood tag sale. For items of more worth, such as furniture or collectibles, you may want to try an online auction or place an ad in the local newspaper.

Trash
Bag up the items that can be put out with your regular garbage pickup. You might also encounter items that are considered hazardous waste, such as:

• paint
• paint thinner
• motor oil
• antifreeze
• brake or transmission fluid
• car batteries
• polyurethane or varnish
• gasoline

These items cannot go in your regular garbage, nor should they be poured down a drain. Contact your local household hazardous waste collection program to find out how to dispose of the items.

Unsure
Try to keep as few items in this category as possible. Don’t hang on to items you really should throw out. Are you ever going to tackle that unfinished repair project or craft that you haven’t touched in months?

When you have narrowed down the pile of things you are unsure about, pack them in a box and label it carefully. Give yourself a deadline by which to revisit them and decide once and for all whether they stay or go.

Keepers
Sort your keepers into groups of like items, such as sports equipment, tools, memorabilia or gardening supplies. Store items that you use seasonally or seldom in clearly marked plastic containers.

Clean the room out thoroughly, removing dirt, cobwebs and stains. A trick for getting oil stains out of garage floors is to cover them with sand or kitty litter and let it sit overnight. The oil is absorbed by the sand or litter, which can be easily swept up. You can use a heavy-duty cleaner such as TSP to clean concrete floors in the basement or garage. Use a workshop vacuum to clean up cobwebs and dirt from walls, ceilings and any exposed beams or studs. Make sure light fixtures work and the bulbs give enough light so the space seems cheerful, not dim.

When everything is clean and ready, plan out a storage solution that will work for you. Keep like items together and much-used items -- such as a toolbox -- readily accessible.

Create a storage space for every item in your keepers box, as well as a few extra spaces for new items. Carefully label where everything should go. Having a designated space for everything will help you keep your garage or basement tidy and organized while you are showing your house.